What a crazy first week of the tour – obviously no one would have anticipated both Froome and Cavendish having to abandon. What’s more, the racing has been unbelievable. We haven’t been able to take our eyes off of the action. And on days like stage 5, not only did we watch live, but we also watched the entire replay. Of course this may not have left much time for product reviews, but sometimes sacrifices need to be made!
All was not lost this week, however. We did share our First Look at both the Bell Star Pro and Canyon Aeroad CF SLX. Also, Tracy shared her thoughts on blueseventy’s TX3000 tri suit.
For those visiting for the first time—welcome! One of our favorite ways to showcase our readers is our Readers’ Rides album on Facebook. You can check it out at http://on.fb.me/12jEqE3. If you would like to have your bike featured in our album just tweet us at @AeroGeeks, Facebook message us, or email us at info@AeroGeeks.com.
This Week’s Posts
Tuesday – Bell Star Pro – First Look
Wednesday – blueseventy TX3000 Tri suit – Review
Thursday – Canyon Aeroad CF SLX – First Look
Tour Tech in Action
The Tour isn’t only the top race on the pro peloton calendar—it’s also a chance for sponsors to showcase new products. Underneath the NetaApp Endura team you’ll find Fuji’s newest frame – the Transonic. And both team Katusha and MoviStar are sporting Canyon’s new Aeroad CFSLX. Belkin is riding with the new Star Pro that spent quite a bit of time in front of the cameras as Lars Boom took the win on the cobbles in Stage 5.
Sport RX Summit
In May we saw what SportRx could do with a pair of Oakley frames when combined with custom prescription lenses (here). Now SportRX is bringing their own sport frames to market. Called the “Summit” – the new frames are specifically designed for sports and are available for just $125 (that includes both the frames AND the Rx lenses). The lenses are 100% UV protective, scratch resistant, and tinted for your needs. SportRx is also offering a two-year warranty. We haven’t had a chance to wear them yet, but at $125, these are a very attractive option for those not looking to wear contacts for every workout.
Froome Rides Under the Sea
Unfortunately Chris Froome will not get a full shot at making it a Tour two-peat. But as part of his training, Froome did get to be the first person ever to bike from the UK to France via the EuroTunnel. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the video, trust us when we say it’s worth the 3 minutes.
Mail Room
We received one very big box and one very light box in the mail room this week. In the big box we received we found a BMC TMR02 Ultegra aero road bike. This is the younger sibling to the TMR01 that propelled Taylor Phinney to a stage win at the Tour of California and a direct descendent of the TM01 time trial frame that you will find in Stage 20 under the BMC team at the Tour.
In the light box we found a Catalyst full carbon wheel cover. Unlike other wheel covers on the market, the Catalyst covers are complete carbon builds. We are looking forward to seeing how it mounts to our Reynolds Strike wheelset.
Current Reviews
- TriRig Mercury – Got another set of rides with Mercury this week. There is a bit of an adjustment when it comes to unclipping from the pedals, but you pick it up rather quickly. Stay tuned for our thoughts after the Tour.
- Garmin Fenix2 – The Fenix2 is very much a watch. Our chief editor has abandoned his day-to-day time piece and chosen to wear the Fenix2 in its place.
- Reynolds Strike SLG – We have been riding the Strike SLGs for a while now on our Quintana Roo test frame. The wheels feel every bit as fast as the original Strikes but quite a bit more comfortable in the cross winds. Stay tuned for our more detailed review in the next few weeks.
- Scott Tri Carbon Shoe – The Scott Tri Carbon’s have been under review for a while now. One of the things we have noticed is how well the enclosure works. Unlike other shoes we’ve tried, we don’t find ourselves needing mid-ride adjustments.